The present invention is directed in general to monitoring operational parameters and fault-related information of a railroad locomotive, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for remotely controlling and configuring the monitoring process.
Cost efficient railroad operation requires minimization of locomotive down time, and especially avoidance of line-of-road locomotive failures. Failure of a major locomotive system can cause serious damage, require costly repairs, and introduce significant operational delays. A line-of-road failure is an especially costly event as it requires dispatching a replacement locomotive to pull the train, possibly rendering a track segment unusable until the disabled train is moved. Therefore, the health of the locomotive engine and its constituent sub-assemblies is of significant concern.
One apparatus for minimizing locomotive down time measures performance and fault-related operational parameters of the locomotive during operation. This information can provide timely and important indications of expected and immediate failures. With timely and nearly continuous access to locomotive performance data, it is possible for locomotive repair experts to predict and/or prevent untimely failures.
Such a system is described and claimed in the commonly owned patent application entitled xe2x80x9cOn-Board Monitor for a Railroad Locomotivexe2x80x9d. This application bears application No. 09/696,368 now U.S. Pat. No. 6/487,478, and was filed on Oct. 25, 2000. The on-board monitor described therein collects, aggregates, and communicates locomotive performance and fault related data from an operating locomotive to a remote monitoring and diagnostic center. The data is collected periodically or as determined by various triggering events from various locomotive control systems during operation. Generally, anomalous or fault data is brought to the attention of the locomotive operator directly by these control systems, but the locomotive itself lacks the necessary hardware and software elements to diagnose the fault. It is therefore advantageous To utilize an on-board monitor to collect and aggregate the information and at the appropriate time send it to a remote monitoring and diagnostic service center. Upon receipt of the performance data at the remote site, data analysis tools operate on the data to identify the root cause of potential or actual faults. Experts in locomotive operation and maintenance also analyze the received data. Historical data patterns of anomalous data can be important clues to an accurate diagnosis and repair recommendation. The lessons learned from failure modes in a single locomotive can also be applied to similar locomotives so that the necessary preventive maintenance can be performed before a line-of-service break down occurs. If the data analysis process identifies incipient problems, certain performance aspects of the locomotive can be derated to avoid further system degradation and further limit violations of operational thresholds until the locomotive can undergo repair at a repair facility. Personnel at the remote monitoring and diagnostic center also develop repair recommendations for preventative maintenance or to correct faults.
An on-board monitor aboard a locomotive monitors and collects data indicative of the locomotive operation from several locomotive control systems. This data is stored within the on-board monitor and downloaded to a remote monitoring and diagnostic center for analysis and the generation of repair recommendations. The downloads occur on a periodic basis, but certain fault events on the locomotive trigger an immediate download. The on-board monitor operates under control of one or more configuration files stored within it. Among other things, these files include the identity of the operational parameters to be collected and also the events that require an immediate download to the remote monitoring and diagnostic center. The remote monitoring and diagnostic center provides these configuration files and can modify the configuration files as required to change the operational characteristics of the onboard monitor. When the configuration files are changed at the remote monitoring and diagnostic service center, they are uploaded to the on-board monitor whenever a communications link is established between the-on-board monitor and the remote monitoring and diagnostic center.